
Last December in New York, we witnessed an unprecedented admission of guilt by the Roman Catholic Church. First with the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program (IRCP) in the Archdiocese of New York and soon followed by similar programs in the Diocese of Brooklyn and Rockville Centre. Nothing like this has ever existed before in New York. It was, and is, a tacit admission that all cases of child sexual abuse must be addressed no matter how much time has elapsed.